Ren Pa
Ren Pa is a Great General from the State of Zhao and a former member of Three Great Heavens of Zhao. He left the state due to conflict with the current king of Zhao and left for Wei. After the Sanyou Campaign, he was exiled from Wei and left for the Chu. Even so to the Zhao soldiers, he is known as a hero of the kingdom before being marked as a traitor. Appearance Ren Pa has a warrior's build and intense eyes. He has a long mustache and a goatee as well. His face and ears are covered in numerous scars showing that he has been in many battles. His hair is a mix of grey and white. Personality Ren Pa is a fearless and war-hungry general who is not above fighting men from his home state to prove this point. He shows a strong sense of camaraderie and honor with the examples of saving a young Rin Ko from starvation and inviting Ou Ki to drink together at his home. He later stated while he and the other Six Great Generals of Qin were his most bitter enemies, he also viewed them in a manner similar to close friends. Ren Pa's emphasis on camaraderie is additionally shown with a tradition with his 4 generals where he "hugs" them before battle to boost their fighting spirit. Ren Pa is saddened by the fact that every last one of his peers has died before him with part of the reason why he led the Sanyou Campaign was because of his frustration with Ou Ki's death. History In the past, Ren Pa competed against Mou Gou from the state of Qi for military achievements and outdid him at every turn, to the point where Mou Gou left the state to look for better ground to flourish. He fought several battles against the Six Great Generals of Qin, which were his main rivals. Story Leaving Zhao A few months prior to Duke Hyou's Wei campaign, Ren Pa fought against Zhao Great General Gaku Jou. This occurred due to King Tou Jou stripping Ren Pa of his rank and title upon his ascension to the Zhao throne. When the general rejected the message, the infuriated king mustered an army of 50,000 men and appointed Gaku Jou to slay Ren Pa who was now called a traitor to the state of Zhao. The two great generals met before the battle, Gaku Jou asking him to surrender or he will drag him back to the capital and Ren Pa dares him to try it. His 8,000 men succeed in battle and Ren Pa kills all those present at Gaku Jou's camp, placing his weapon on the general's neck. With the defeated general's surrender, he expresses his dislike for the current leadership in Zhao and says that he was not planning to come back to the state. When Gaku Jou asks if his feelings for Zhao weigh so lightly that he would abandon them, he replies that his feelings towards the battlefield weigh far heavier. Ren Pa compliments Gaku Jou on his warfare but states that compared to the Qin, it only satisfied him 60 percent. After leading his men to seek asylum in Wei and he met with Ou Ki in his estate in Wei where they drank and talked of old times. Sanyou Campaign Arc Being dormant for three years, he declares his desire to take to the battlefield again with the appearance of the Qin army. Meeting with his trusted men, The Four Heavenly Kings of Ren Pa, he asks Rin Ko to ride out and take the heads of any outstanding officers he finds. Back in the Wei capital, Ren Pa sits with the King to tell him of Rin Ko's prowess on the battlefield and tells of the time when his "Flying Spear" was able to land a blow on the "Monstrous Bird of Qin" after breaking through the army's defense. He seems to look at the battle terrain with figures when Kyou En asks why he decided to fight the Qin, to which he replies that Ou Ki goaded him into doing so three years ago. Ren Pa then mentions the two powerful swords that Mougou has in his possession before taking to the field with the Wei army. He arrives to find the strategic position on Mount Man taken by Ou Sen and his troops. At his HQ, Ren Pa discusses with Kyou En and Kai Shi Bou on the troop movements and notices that Kanki is setting up his camp on Mount Ryuu. He gives out liquor to all the men as they wait for the main Wei army to arrive the next day. When the army arrives, it is led by Haku Ki Sai who is the commander-in-chief and this shocks some of the Heavenly Kings until Ren Pa explains that he is just a figurehead for the war. He does the pre-battle ritual for everyone except Gen Bou then tells them to get into their positions. Watching the first battle unfold, he notes the resistance on the Qin side and the devastating effects of Gen Bou's tactics. Ren Pa later comments that Gen Bou's retreat is in his nature as he is a strategist, not a warrior general and he must have accomplished his task. Later he baits Ou Sen into a trap at the Wei Di, arriving with a small army of 1,000 men to save Kyou En from the Qin general. Surprised by Ou Sen's decision to retreat, both Ren Pa and Kyou En's armies chase them as they head into the forest region. As they chase after the Qin, he comments that Ou Sen reminds him of Haku Ki and they stop to find that the Qin Vice General has built a fortress in the mountain nearby. Ren Pa orders the men to set up camp at the base of the mountain and surround the fort. Pointing out Ou Sen's twisted personality, he leaves Kyou En to watch over the fortress and tells him that killing the enemy commander will end the war. He appears at the rear of Mou Gou's headquarters, challenging the Great General to a duel and when he gets no response, orders his 2,000 troops to scale the mountain. Breaking past the first line of defense, he notices that Mou Gou is using the "strategy of broken paths" and states that he is really being serious this time around. Going on his short memory on the fort's layout, Ren Pa is able to navigate past the traps until he is led into a dead end by Mou Gou manipulating the layout. He easily escapes from the dead end and figures out the quickest way to Mou Gou's position, stating that even 40 years were not enough for Mou Gou to be a challenge. Wondering if something happened to Rin Ko, Ren Pa finally arrives at the Qin headquarters and is surprised when Mou Gou does not run. He engages the Great General in combat and is surprised at both his strength and resilience. Mou Gou manages to knock down Ren Pa so hard that the legs of his warhorse give way. Enraged at his opponent's words, Ren Pa decapitates his horse and severs his arm in one swing (in Anime however, only wounding his arm) then kills two of Mou Ten's men when the young Qin tries to attack him in vengeance for his grandfather's wound. Telling Mou Gou that he underestimates the Golden Age far too much and when his wounded foe points out the coming change that even Ou Ki could not fight, Ren Pa calls him a buffoon for dying after his return to the battlefield. Shin talks back to him but he tells Shin to get a name "worth his time" before the Qin commander throws one of Rin Ko's swords at his feet, stating he slew the Heavenly King. In his rage, he attacks Shin and is surprised when the boy is able to block his blow, wondering what kind of sword he wields before knocking him back. After listening to Mou Gou's words, he remembers that Ou Ki said something similar about the end of their golden age when he visited many years back. He raises up his weapon to kill Shin but stops when Mou Gou tells him that Shin inherited Ou Ki's Glaive. Asking what Ou Ki's last moments where like, Ren Pa hears Shin's words and is in awe as to the gap between him and the great generals of his era. After seeing Kai Shi Bou's arrival and the burning of the Wei Headquarters by Kan Ki, Ren Pa tells his subordinates that they are going home as they have lost the battle. When Kai Shi Bou protests, Ren Pa tells the men to look at the battlefield as a whole and informs everyone of the threat posed by Ou Sen to the Wei troops, given that his practically untouched forces were merely waiting for the opportunity to deal a decisive blow, and that there was simply no time to rally the Wei army before that. This fact, in addition to their losses, leads him to call it a "checkmate" and he proposes a ceasefire in terms which are agreeable to General Mou Gou. When Kai Shi Bou apologizes for his mistake with Kan Ki, Ren Pa states that their main issue was actually the death of Rin Ko at the hands of "nameless soldiers", as his lieutenant was the true strength of the Wei center army. Talking to Shin, Ren Pa informs him of what is expected of a Great General and mentions the "unification of all China" as the only way Shin can surpass the old era. Handing back Rin Ko's sword to Shin, he tells Mou Gou that the region of Sanyou is of great significance among others before leaving the field with his troops. Prostrating before Kei Bin, Ren Pa admits his failure in the campaign and is exiled from Wei by the king instead of facing execution. He then sought asylum in the state of Chu. By the wishes of Shin, Rin Ko's body was sent back to Ren Pa. In turn, Ren Pa sent him highly expensive ginseng renowned for its restorative qualities. Unfortunately, the Hi Shin Unit was unaware of its values or properties. Coalition Invasion Arc During the Coalition War against Qin, Ren Pa is seen advising the Chu king on what he should do next after the loss of Kan Mei and Rin Bu Kun. He advised that the Chu not send more reinforcements into Qin as there was the risk that they could be ambushed by Qin armies who held out in cities along the periphery that the Coalition Army didn't capture. He also mentions that the war is not over as Ri Boku has yet to make a move on the battlefield. Koku You Campaign Arc He is seen organizing a meeting between Ka Rin and Ri En shortly after Shun Shin Kun was assassinated to reorganize Chu's Imperial court to avoid weakening the state from a succession crisis. Abilities Ren Pa is a great general who displays great physical prowess on the field of battle. He is strong enough to break through an enemy infantry unit, killing multiple men easily with a single swing of his glaive. Ren Pa's physical strength is such that he is able to kill Mou Gou's horse and cut off his left arm with one swing of his glaive. He was also able to overpower Shin with a single blow and Shin later stated that the strength behind Ren Pa's blade was so great that compared to it the blow from Hou Ken felt light like a tiny pebble (but it's also possible that Shin exaggerated to mock Hou Ken). His skill is so great that even Ri Boku stated that no one, not even himself, can defeat Ren Pa in a direct battle. According to Mou Gou, Ren Pa is a multifaceted general. He is both a "Strategical General" and an "Instinctual General", and uses two alternating traits of "hardness" and "softness" in his warfare. This is shown in his sheer ferocity on the battlefield and his ability to use himself as a trap to lure out enemy troops for his men to kill. His defense strategies are very formidable to the point that even protected the land of Chouhei for two years. During the Battle of Chouhei, he was able to stalemate Qin forces led by two members of Six Great Generals - Haku Ki and Ou Ki. Not only that, when he perceives that it is the right moment to attack, he personally leads direct charges into enemy lines with ferocious momentum. He was shown to outsmart Ou Sen in battle and cause him to retreat, but later realizes it was a ploy by the former to lure him into the mountain fortress. Before entering Mou Gou's fort he located all suspicious areas and roughly predicted the locations of traps. Then, by relying on his photographic memory he could navigate this complicated maze despite the fact he couldn't see the hill as a whole. Mou Gou later commented that Ren Pa is the only man capable of such feat. With total stats of 291, Ren Pa matches the Military God Gaku Ki, making them the two characters with the highest stats introduced so far. Making him one of the strongest characters in the series with all-around balanced high stats. He matches Ri Boku, one of the current Great Heavens of Zhao and one of the best strategists in China. Quotes * Shin ''"What's needed to become a Great General is... The "willpower of a hundred!" And also, the arm strength of a hundred! Furthermore, the knowledge of a hundred! And the experience of a hundred and the luck of a hundred too!" (Chapter 241, page 6–7) * Shin "That fierce age of ours already belongs in the annals of legend. No matter how large of a storm you kick up in the future, the only thing that will ever thrown your way are "what if's". What if those legendary figures of old still existed in this generation?" (Chapter 241, page 11) Trivia * Ren Pa cries when he is drunk. * Ren Pa considered the "Six Great Generals of Qin" to be friends as they understood each other. * After Mou Gou's passing, Ren Pa is the only known member of the old generation's great generals to still be alive. * Wikipedia lists him ("Lian Po") as one of the four generals "commonly known" as the greatest generals of the Warring States period. That's alongside Ou Sen ("Wang Jian"), Haku Ki ("Bai Qi") and Ri Boku ("Li Mu"). * Part of his strength comes from his four Heavenly Kings, mainly Rin Ko. *Ren Pa and Rin Shou Jo exchanged a "pledge of eternal friendship" and shared a brotherly bond. Gallery | |t1 = Manga|t2 = Anime}} ---- ---- ---- | Category:Characters Category:Male Category:Chu Category:Great Generals Category:Instinctual Great Generals Category:Strategical Great Generals Category:Chu Great Generals Category:Commanders-in-Chief Category:Three Great Heavens Category:Cavalry Category:Glaive Users